Main image of Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur's face in a circular inset on the right

Roberto De Zerbi and Rodrigo BentancurImago

Rodrigo Bentancur is causing a problem for Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham - here's why

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Published on:

08 Sep 2026, 11:10 am

Tottenham Hotspur invested heavily in improving their midfield during the transfer window.

Around £100million was spent on signing Italy international Sandro Tonali from Premier League rivals Newcastle United.

West Ham United's relegation also presented an opportunity, as a further £85m was forked out to sign Mateus Fernandes.

It could have been those transfers would have had an adverse effect on Rodrigo Bentancur.

The Uruguay midfielder might have thought opportunities would be limited following their arrivals.

And yet, the 29-year-old is causing a welcome problem for Roberto De Zerbi in the early stages of the campaign.

Why Rodrigo Bentancur could be so important to Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi

There is no disguising the fact that Tottenham are enduring a poor start to the campaign.

Defeats to Brentford and Newcastle exposed a series of issues for De Zerbi to address.

The goalless draw at Nottingham Forest at least got Spurs on the board, but it was not the victory supporters were hoping for to kick-start things.

And yet, amid the gloom, Bentancur has been showing why he can still be so unique in this Spurs set up.

Given the new arrivals, the fact Lucas Bergvall decided to stay, and James Maddison is still to come back, Bentancur's chances of game time might have looked slim.

But the former Juventus man right now looks like he simply has to start.

The calmness he shows in the middle of the park, and the ability to gain possession in pressure situations from the defence is going to be absolutely fundamental to De Zerbi's high-risk, high-reward football.

Through three Premier League appearances so far, Bentancur is averaging 51.7 touches, and is always demanding the ball deep.

He has a pass accuracy of 90 per cent, which rises to 93 per cent in his own half, and drops only slightly to 86 per cent in the opposition half.

Defensively, Bentancur is doing an important role for De Zerbi as well.

He is making 4.3 recoveries and 2.0 tackles per game, as well as 3.3 clearances.

How Rodrigo Bentancur has quietly unlocked Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham tactics

Is this a dilemma for Roberto De Zerbi?

De Zerbi was effusive of the "great game" Bentancur had against Forest.

He also explained how he still expects Fernandes to be a key performer this season, despite the fact he did not start against the Tricky Trees.

But given the outlay on Tonali and Fernandes, it stands to reason that he is going to have to utilise them both heavily this season.

With Conor Gallagher, Bergvall, and Maddison to find game time for as well, it is a dilemma for De Zerbi.

Frankly, though, right now you cannot drop Bentancur from the team.

Spurs need to find a way to start scoring goals, but to do that they need the ball, and no one is better at protecting the ball in the team than Bentancur right now.

Conor Gallagher